06/08/2026
NORTH SLOPE DATA CENTER AND THE IMPACT ON WILDLIFE.
As a lifelong Alaskan hunter, trapper, and outdoorsman myself, I share a commitment to protecting our wildlife in the Last Frontier. However, the concerns and impacts on wildlife raised by critics about North Slope data centers like Stak Energy rely on generalized fears from Lower 48 projects that don’t apply here.
Recently I received a message through our chapter email asking SCI’s position on the environmental impacts to wildlife from data centers. Our Kenai SCI chapter is not opposed to the proposed Stak Energy data center on the North Slope. As a career wildlife biologist with 28 years at ADF&G, including extensive work on Alaska caribou herds, and as someone who has served on the Alaska Board of Game, I have no objection to the 700-acre, 50-year lease project.
It potentially represents responsible, contained development in an already industrialized area that can bring jobs, revenue, and economic opportunity to Alaska without threatening our wildlife resources.
I understand the concern about potential impacts on caribou herd, it’s a question we’ve heard for decades on the North Slope. But the historical record with the Central Arctic Herd (CAH) tells a very different story than the one environmentalist predicted.
Back in the 1970s, when oil and gas development began at Prudhoe Bay, many activists and some biologists claimed the CAH would be decimated. They warned that roads, pipelines, gravel pads, and human activity would destroy calving grounds, block migrations, reduce calf survival, and drive the herd to collapse. The herd numbered only about 5,000–6,000 animals at the time.
The opposite happened. The CAH exploded in size, reaching peaks of over 70,000 animals by 2010, while oil and gas infrastructure expanded across the region. Population numbers grew steadily alongside development for decades, with only temporary fluctuations tied more to weather, predators, and range conditions than to industry.
Studies by ADF&G and others consistently showed that direct habitat loss was minimal compared to the overall range, and the herd continued to use the area successfully. In fact, the oil and gas infrastructure often had the opposite effect many feared: it effectively protected caribou by creating zones where predators like wolves tended to avoid high human activity, allowing caribou (especially cows and calves) safer access to forage and relief areas.
This data center is far smaller in footprint than the existing oil fields and uses similar proven mitigation measures, elevated gravel pads, minimal surface disturbance, and location near the Dalton Highway corridor where infrastructure already exists. It’s not carving into pristine wilderness; it’s leveraging the North Slope’s existing energy and transportation network for a high-tech project that will run on natural gas without tying into the Railbelt grid or raising anyone else’s power bills.
On the North Slope, the project uses on-site natural gas power and extreme cold for “free air cooling” thanks to the North Slope’s 12°F average temps. It slashes water use by 90%+ compared to typical data centers. No droughts, no drying lakes or ponds.
Regarding claims that data centers are placed only in “poor counties/boroughs” that the wealthy avoid: The North Slope Borough is one of the richest boroughs in the nation, thanks to decades of responsible oil and gas development. This fact destroys the “only the poor” argument.
EMF/radiation and “mass surveillance” claims lack credible evidence tying typical data center operations to ecosystem collapse or poisoning. This is contained development leveraging stranded gas and existing infrastructure, not invading pristine wilderness.
As for the fear that “pretty soon the entire area will be littered with them”, that’s simply not how North Slope leasing and permitting works. This is one specific, isolated 700-acre lease with strict state oversight. Alaska has managed large-scale industrial development here for over 50 years while maintaining healthy caribou herds, sustainable subsistence harvests, and healthy wildlife populations. One well-regulated data center does not open the floodgates; it demonstrates that we can innovate and diversify our economy while continuing to prioritize conservation.
With the explosive growth of AI and the broader digital economy, the construction of data centers is inevitable. Alaska has already demonstrated through our oil and gas industry that we can successfully balance responsible development with strong environmental protections.
The Kenai SCI Chapter takes no position on the broader economic, energy, or policy aspects of data centers.
Our sole concern with any industrialized development on the North Slope, including the proposed Stak Energy data center, is its potential impact on wildlife. After reviewing decades of scientific data on the Central Arctic Caribou Herd and experience as a career wildlife biologist, we conclude that this small, contained 700-acre project in an already industrialized area is unlikely to harm Caribou or other wildlife when properly mitigated.
We remain committed to science-based wildlife management and the responsible multiple-use of Alaska’s public lands. We can innovate responsibly without sacrificing our hunting and outdoor traditions. Let’s base decisions on Alaska-specific science from DNR and ADF&G, not nationwide alarmism. I urge reviewing the actual project details.
Respectfully,
Ted Spraker
Retired ADF&G Wildlife Biologist
President, Alaska's Kenai Peninsula Chapter SCI
